Kindergartner's school photo goes viral and his mom can't help but laugh

The 5-year-old student posed for a nontraditional portrait.

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March 15, 2019, 8:00 PM GMT / Source: TODAY

By Scott Stump

Stronajai Miles remembers school pictures being a serious affair when she was growing up.

That's why the mom from Atlanta was in shock when she came across her son's hilarious kindergarten photos and didn't initially believe they were real.

Miles, 25, was checking her 5-year-old son Drew's backpack last week to see if there was anything she needed to sign for school administrators, when she saw a group of professional photos of him with his mouth wide open, like he was halfway through a scream.

They were his school pictures from Lifetouch School Photography, which let him show the funny side of his personality.

"The way I grew up, school photos were a big thing,'' Miles told TODAY. "You don't do anything silly, and if we did we would get in trouble.

"This is school. We're not at Target or J.C. Penney, so I'm expecting a traditional photo. I was like, 'They let him take a picture like that?!'"

However, once she realized how much people enjoyed the photos, which have been shared more than 40,000 times, she couldn't help but laugh along with everyone else at Drew's funny pose. She also joins the group of parents who can only crack up about their child's school picture fail.

"I saw an article that said free spirited photos are their policy,'' she wrote in a follow-up Facebook post. "If I had known, I’d have no reason to feel upset about not getting a traditional picture. Regardless, knowing that his silly picture brought joy all over the world, how can I continue to be flustered?"

Drew is "loving" the reaction to his photos and now wants to be a YouTuber, Miles said.

The photos may not have come out as Miles had hoped, but they are a perfect representation of Drew's fun-loving personality.

"That's definitely Drew,'' Miles said. "He is a character. He has taken pre-K photos that all came out nice, and I'm just like, 'What happened here?' He's a sweet kid."

Miles has reached out to Lifetouch School Photography about either retaking the photos or doing a photo shoot.

"We'll let Drew do some funny photos and then we can get the ones I want,'' Miles said before laughing.